Prince-Patriarch Wachirayanwarorot

The autobiography of Prince-Patriarch Wachirayanwarorot is one of the first recorded autobiographies in Thai history. It reflects his early interest in Buddhism, his testing the pleasures of life, his return to the order, and fascination with and suspicion of rank and position. The times of Prince Wachirayan also reflect first contacts with Westerners and the pressures of modernization — especially educational reform — that have continued to this day.

Prince Wachirayan was born on April 12, 1860. While he was born into the royal family, being the forty-seventh child of the king and a child of a concubine, he did not enjoy the highest princely status. From his early days, he felt his life was related to Buddhism somehow. His name, Manutnakmanop (a Naga [[[serpent]]] among humanity), was given because a heavy rain was falling while he was born. The name evokes an incident in the life of the Buddha when a cobra spread its hood over the Buddha like an umbrella to shield him.

By the 1850s and 60s, a princely education included the study of Western languages, geography, and history. Pressures of imperialism were being imposed by the British and French, and knowledge of one’s place in the world was becoming increasingly important. Just as Anna had been brought to school children in the court of King Mongkut, King Chulalongkorn had brought an Englishman to instruct some of the royal children at court.

Prince Wachirayan ordained for the first time as a novice on August 7, 1873, at the age of fourteen. He was to spend seventy-eight days in the order before he got a bit restless and yearned to leave. During this time as a novice he studied Pali chants, learned self-discipline, and respect for elders.

After leaving the monkhood this time, the Prince experimented further with the outside world, delving into shopping sprees, dressing as a dude, and getting into debt. He imitated European drinking habits and dress and managed to get himself seriously into debt with his accounts and credits at various shopping centers. Apparently his indulgence ended fairly quickly after meeting a bachelor Scottish doctor named Peter Gowan. Wachirayan liked the self-discipline and asceticism of Dr. Gowan, but, apparently, the more he thought about it, the example of the good doctor lacked the spiritual dimensions of Buddhism that he had already experienced. His thoughts about reentering the Buddhist order persisted.

Prince Wachirayan continued to study the Dhamma under the direction of other princes and teachers at court. His first official position was as an administrative secretary to King Chulalongkorn. However, after political setbacks for his half-brother King Chulalongkorn, Prince Wachirayan was ordained on June 27, 1879. The King had reassured him that time spent in the Buddhist order would not be wasted and that princely rank and title would likely be imminent.

This decision was not to be temporary this time: Prince Wachirayan was to remain committed to the order until he passed away. In late 1881, Wachirayan passed the 5th level of Pali studies, a foundation of knowledge that later helped him when he became more involved in creating educational materials. By early 1882, he went to Wat Bovornives and was bestowed the princely rank his half-brother had promised and the title of Wachirayanwarorot (Vajirananavarorasa); the king also made him deputy patriarch of the Dhammayutika (Thammayut) reform order created by his father, Mongkut.

When an elderly, high-ranking monk abbot passed away in 1892, Wachirayan assumed the position of abbot of Wat Bovornives and was made patriarch of the Dhammayutika. In 1893, the Mahamakut Buddhist institute of higher learning was opened at Wat Bovornives, and was put under his direction. At the mere age of thirty-four, Wachirayan began the process of reforming Pali language study and improving the system of education for Dhammayutika monks, an example he and the King hoped would serve as a new model for the whole Thai sangha.

Wachirayan felt ambivalence about rank and what it often took to get things done in the administration of the monkhood. He expressed initial discomfort when the King came to prostrate himself before him (monks are above even the King in terms of merit). And in his autobiography he states: “I had always thought that any man who intended to be ordained in a serious way should not accept rank. But to my surprise, I found not a single monk was a pillar of Buddhism if he did not hold rank” (Reynolds, p. xxxvi).

Changes in education were happening quickly at this point in Thai history. At the end of 1896, Wachirayan was put in charge of all secular education taking place in Dhammayutika monasteries in Thailand (at first education in Thailand grew out of the temples and most secular schools were connected to or located in the compound of a temple). Initially, the Department of Education was ineffective and to speed up the reform process Wachirayan and another well-known half-brother, Prince Damrong, were soon put in charge of all secular education in the kingdom. Monks who had completed training at Mahamakut were sent to the countryside to jump start this new process.

Since the new system of education was lacking textbooks, Wachirayan set about fashioning both secular and religious texts, receiving help from Dr. Peter Gowan who entered the picture again. At this time, Wachirayan wrote texts that are still read today, such as Instructions for New Ordinands (Navakovada) and Entrance to the Vinaya (Vinayamukha). Partly in order to organize the new monks who were teaching in the countryside, the Sangha Law of 1902 was enacted (which paralleled the aspect of the civil administrative hierarchy). It was not until the reign of Rama VI (King Vajiravudh) in 1910 that these administrative changes would be felt in outlying areas. Furthermore, when the monks could not handle the needs of a planned system of education for the masses, the Ministry of Education eventually moved forward with its own secular system of education. Ecclesiastical education has existed as a parallel track, however.

As soon as Rama VI came into power he made Wachirayan the Supreme Patriarch of the Thai monkhood and increased his rank again. As head of the order, Wachirayan met often with the Mahatherasamakhom (Council of Elders) and made trips into the countryside to see the effects of the new educational system. Beginning in 1913, these trips were curtailed when his health began to fail.

Later in life, part of his legacy is linked to the nationalistic fervor created by Rama VI and two curious works, translated into English by “one of his disciples.” The following two works are credited to him: “The Buddhist Attitude Towards National Defense and Administration” and “The Triumph of the Right.” These essays suggest a righteous justification for war and tout the patriotic value of the military. The Thai versions of these essays are difficult to find, and some scholars have suggested that the nationalistic king may have been the translator.

In 1921, Rama VI created an honorific for prince-patriarch monks — phramahasamanachao — and bestowed it upon Prince Wachirayan. He passed away in August of 1921 of tuberculosis. Few other monks have been in such a position of leadership to affect education and the order of the monkhood. Prince-Patriarch Wachirayanwarorot’s legacy is still felt today. In the Dhammayutika order, no other monk has emerged to eclipse his star. According to many Thai people, only one other Mahanikai monk (with no royal prerogatives) may equal or exceed this monk’s contributions — Phra Dhammapitaka (Prayudh Payutto).

Source

Main source:Craig Raynolds (ed. & trans.). Autobiography: The Life of Prince-Patriarch Vajiranana. Athens: Ohio University Press, 1977.
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